


don't make me cry, darling

by llavendergirll



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Augerey, Care of Magical Creatures, Creature Harry Potter, Dark!Harry, Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, Horror, M/M, Overuse of the Italization Key, Sane Tom Riddle, Some Humor, Supernatural Elements, Teenage Tom Riddle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 18:20:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llavendergirll/pseuds/llavendergirll
Summary: Tom usually wasn’t one to succumb to peer pressure, but his friends could getfuckingannoying. That's why he was currently trekking through the Forbidden Forest. In the middle of the night. Alone.Merlin, why did he agree to this?





	don't make me cry, darling

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but then it got kind of lengthy, so i'm splitting it up into two parts. hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

Leaves crunching underfoot, Tom sighed as he looked down at his expensive shoes. His only pair. All that he had. A spell could probably fix them, but still, it was the principle; if Malfoy hadn’t dared him to go into the Forbidden Forest tonight, he wouldn’t have _had_ to fix them.

As it was, his shoes were currently covered in a mixture of foliage and mud.

Tom usually wasn’t one to succumb to peer pressure, but _fuck_ his friends could get annoying. 

It had all started earlier that day during Care of Magical Creatures, which Tom had been forced to take this year, due to a scheduling issue with Arithmancy and Professor Vector being _“just not able to make it work this year, Tom.”_ Today, due to it being a rather mild early spring day, they had decided to venture out further than they normally would have, usually sticking to the perimeter of the forest (Tom was the only one who objected, much to his classmates amusement). Alas, Professor Kettleburn decided today would be the perfect day to start their lessons on Augeries. Tom found the rumors surrounding the bird to be quite interesting. Previously, it had been believed that the cry of the Augerey foretold the death of the listener, but recent studies have shown it predicts nothing more than rain. 

After a short lesson, Kettleburn decided it would be a _fantastic_ idea to let her class of seventh year students run amuk in the forest, and they were told to gather into groups. Although Tom preferred solitary work, even he wouldn’t be keen to enter the ominous wall of darkness that made up the Forbidden Forest alone, even on the brightest of summer’s days. Therefore, he wasn’t too annoyed when Lestrange immediately called ‘dibs’ on being Tom’s partner. However, Tom wasn’t about to go off into the forest with only Lestrange as a companion, and quickly remedied the statement by stating that anyone who wished to accompany him into the forest was quite welcome. Although he saw a group of girls titter excitedly at the prospect of being left alone in the Forbidden Forest with strong, charming, _intelligent, handsome Head Boy_ Tom Riddle, glares from Nott and Lestrange kept them from venturing too close. 

This is how Tom wound up with his usual group of friends on either side of him as they traipsed (admittedly, pretty clumsily) into the vastness of the Forbidden Forest. Their mission: to find an Augerey, or many. Supposedly a flock of Augeries had moved into the forest as of quite recently, which was rare for their kind, as they tended to be solitary birds. They were instructed to look for them, and if they came across one, they were to send up green sparks, signalling to the rest of the class to converge upon that point. The only other instructions they were given (other than to “not die”), which was to send up red sparks if they encountered any trouble or felt endangered, which was an unspoken rule of every Care of Magical Creatures class. Admittedly, this was not Professor Kettleburn’s most well thought out plan, but it would keep the seventh years out of her hair for at least an hour, which was more than enough time to take a quick nap. 

Regardless of the group of idiots Tom was surrounded by, including, but not limited to: Avery, currently trying to knock debris off of trees in order to hit Malfoy in the head as he walked past (which, grudgingly, Tom admitted was pretty funny), Black attempting to hex a group of beetles to form a circle around Nott, and Lestrange talking his _fucking_ ear off about Merlin knows what, Tom thought the chances of surviving were pretty decent. Good, in fact. That’s why he was shocked when suddenly, something pricked at the edge of his mind, that something was just _not right_. He held up his hand, and his group immediately paused, all looking at him with apprehension in their eyes as he continued to stare in the woods, not saying a word. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the treeline closely. No, something was very _not right_. An eeriness had settled over the forest. Where usually there was chattering of different animals and insects, now it was completely silent. He looked up at the canopy of the forest, which was almost completely covering the pastel blue sky above. This feeling nagged at him, all of his instincts _screaming_ at him to get out, to _go_ , and while Tom had never been one to ignore his instincts, he still wasn’t sure what it was he was supposed to be running from. It wasn’t something he could put his finger on.

Until...

A loud screech filled the air around them, making everyone scramble to cover their ears with their palms. It tore through their minds, a pain that made them bend over and scream themselves. It was a sound that clearly began as a noise of pain and sadness. However, it quickly changed tone, ending on a sound that was a shout of anger, something that bespoke revenge.

As quickly as it pierced the air, it ceased, leaving the air around them ringing in silence. The only noise that could be heard was the heaving breaths of the boy next to them. Tom’s eyes had begun to water during the screech, and he now hurriedly wiped them away and looked at the other. The first to stand was Nott, followed by Avery, who chuckled nervously and said, “Perhaps it’s an Augerey, and we’re all sentenced to our deaths now.”

The attempt at humor fell flat in place of the current uncomfortable circumstances. “Oh, come on Avery. You know that the cry of the Augerey doesn’t signal death. That was disproven, like, a million years ago,” Nott scoffed. 

Feigning confidence, Tom forced his shoulders back to stand up straight, a move he hasn’t consciously had to do in years, “Yes, it probably was an Augerey. At most, all we can expect is some rain.” He said this as if he _knew_ that was in fact the cry of an Augery, and not as if he had _no idea at all_ what it was, that nothing should be able to make a noise that loud, that shrill. He looked at the group of boys around him, meeting their eyes and noticing the frantic gleam present in most of them. He hoped he didn’t have that as well. 

That was when it began to rain. Immediately and heavily. Tom sighed, cursing his luck. “Well, we might as well start heading back. I mean, it’s not as if Kettleburn will make us trudge through this rain,” Nott added hopefully, although they all knew Kettleburn was not likely to do any such thing (Kettleburn was currently sleeping in a closet by the entrance hall, and supremely unaware of the strange happenings her students had encountered). “And hey! This proves it was an Augerey! After all, there was the cry, and then it started to rain. They should really mention how awful the noise is in the textbooks, though.”

The others mumbled their agreement, though Tom had a feeling in his gut that whatever was out there _wasn’t_ an Augerey. However, he wasn’t about to tell them that.“Very well,” Tom huffed out, “Let’s move along. I’d hate to be the last one out here.” He started to move back through the brush, when Malfoy called out, “Why? Are you scared, Riddle?”

The rest of the group immediately fell silent and Tom paused in his movements. He slowly turned on his heel and met Malfoy’s eyes. “Excuse me?”

Malfoy gulped, eyes skittering around before meeting Tom’s, “I said, are you scared?”

Tom let out a humorless laugh, “And where is this surge of bravery coming from, Malfoy? Last that I recall, you were sorted into Slytherin, not the _courageous_ Gryffindor,” He narrowed his eyes, “And what, pray tell, do I have to be afraid of? By far, the most terrifying thing in this place is the prospect of being lost in it with the likes of _you_ ,” Tom’s lips had curled into a sneer by the time he was finished speaking, and the rest of the group dared not breathe too loudly. Malfoy gulped. “Have you got anything else to suggest then? Any more _brilliant_ insights?” Tom cocked his head, as if inquisitive. When no answer came, he pursed his lips. “Well, then, let’s keep moving,” Feathers ruffled, Tom plunged ahead of the group. He could hear their whispers behind him, and it only served to irritate him. Finally, they broke through into the clearing in front of the castle, where another group was already waiting. 

While the other group tried to approach them, Tom moved to the side, lost in his own thoughts. Where did Malfoy get off, thinking he could speak to him like that? Even if, in public, they were unable to address him as respectfully as he should be, that was still no reason to complete lose their heads and talk to him as if he was an _equal_. Tom let out a sigh, and started his walk back towards the castle.

 

Later that night, Tom and his friends were seated around the fire in the Slytherin common room. Most had forgotten about the incident that had occured during Care of Magical Creatures, and while Tom had _not_ forgotten, he was willing to let it slide. That was, of course, until Malfoy decided to open his big, _fat, ungrateful_ mouth. “So Riddle, any chance of you going back out into the Forbidden Forest? Like, ever? I mean, I know you were pretty scared, but maybe if you had _Kettleburn_ there to hold your hand you’d-”

His voice cut off when Lestrange threw a stinging hex at him, then fretfully looked to Tom. The entire group was hoping, _praying_ , that he hadn’t heard, and perhaps they could go on with the night like normal, like nothing had ever been said and-

Unfortunately, that was not the case. They know that as soon as Tom lifted his cold eyes from the pages of the book in front of him. His jaw was clenched, but he gave no other indication of being upset. 

Tom’s voice came out frightfully low, like a whisper, and the group had to lean forward to hear it. “Now, now, Malfoy. I allowed your insolence to stand earlier today, but do _not_ make the mistake of forgetting who I am, and what I’m capable of,” He cocked his head to the side, and eyed Malfoy, “ _Have_ you forgotten who I am?”

Malfoy’s lips were pursed, much like he wanted to say something. Everybody knew it would _not_ be a good idea if he said it. They didn’t know what _it_ was, but had a gut feeling it wouldn’t go over well with Tom. Avery hissed, “Cool it, Malfoy.”

Malfoy ignored this warning and stood up, pointing a finger at Tom, “You know, I had really high hopes for you, Riddle. I _believed_ in you. And what has that gotten me? Nothing! Mudbloods still roam around the _fucking_ school, and, and…” he trailed off, eyes searching around, desperately trying to find something to follow that up with. His eyes lit up, “ _And_! All that money I donated to your _bloody_ cause. Where the hell has that gone, huh? I’m tired of this! I won’t stand for it! I think you’re a coward. You said you’d show us tons of really _awesome_ magic, and the only exposure we’ve gotten to dark magic is _you_ casting the Cruciatus curse on us! And I’m over it!” He began frantically pacing throughout the common room. Whispers of “not now Malfoy” and “shut the _fuck_ up, Malfoy” followed him, but he didn’t care. He was in the _zone_. “Lads, are we going to continue to blindly follow him?” He met the eyes of Avery, Lestrange, Nott, and Black.

Tom’s eyes followed Malfoy around the room. Finally, he let out a sigh and stood up. Malfoy backed up a few paces when he did so (and didn’t _that_ make Tom feel all warm and tingly inside?). “Well, is this how all of you feel? Do you think I am a fraud, someone conning you out of your inheritances?” He looked at his followers, “Did you think this would be easy? That you would wake up one day and the world would be ours? If you did, then you are an _idiot_.” At this, he cut his eyes to Malfoy, “I have always had our interests at heart, and I have been working tirelessly to get us to the position we are _all_ owed. I don’t appreciate having to defend myself from the likes of you all.” Tom closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath, trying to think of how to appease them. It wouldn’t do that if after all of his hard work, they suddenly up and left. “How can I prove to you that I am a leader you can trust in, that you can follow?” 

Avery and Black met each other eyes, and the rest glanced down at their laps. “Go back into the forest.” They all looked up at Malfoy, who was staring defiantly at Tom. “We _all_ know that wasn’t an Augerey out there this afternoon. Go out and kill it, whatever it was.”

Tom let out a puff of laughter. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not going out there.” He looked at Lestrange, and to his surprise, Lestrange looked… contemplative. Like he wasn’t going to automatically take Tom’s side, like the little _lapdog_ Tom had trained him to be. 

When Tom had offered to prove himself, he thought they’d ask to him to make a teacher go missing or something, something he was actually willing to _do_. Not… _this_. Tom know that whatever was out there was _far_ more dangerous than the Ministry. That whatever they’d heard this afternoon was dangerous, and out for blood.

Lestrange spoke, “Listen Tom, you’re the one who knows the most spells out of all of us. If anyone can get whatever that was, it’s you.” 

While flattered, Tom _still_ didn’t want to go out there. “I _still_ don’t want to go out there. We don’t even know for sure what it is! It might not even be out there anymore! Did you think of that?”

“Then it’s not there. Tom, if you’re afraid, then you don’t have to go,” Malfoy stepped up close to Tom, and looked him dead in the eye, “But if you don’t, then you’ve lost my support, and the support of everyone here. Because then we’ll all know you’re a _coward_.”

As much as he would hate to admit it later, Tom lost it. When Malfoy called him a coward, he snapped. His hand balled itself into a fist and knocked Malfoy right in the jaw. Malfoy lost his balance, and fell onto the couch next to Nott. Blood streamed from his nose and his eyes were wide in shock. “ _Never_ call me that,” He looked at all of them: Nott holding Malfoy’s shoulders as Malfoy wiped his nose clean, Black staring wide-eyed at the blood that had dripped onto the carpet, Avery silent in the corner, and Lestrange, looking at Tom with wonder in his eyes. “I’ll go out there. I’ll go out tonight, even. And when I come back, with the head of that _beast_ , I will make you all _sorely pay for this_.” He turned away from them, heading down the corridor from the common room and into his dorm. 

As he draped his cloak around his shoulders and snatched his wand from the table, only one thought filled his mind. 

_If it’s a show they want, it’s a show they’ll get._


End file.
